Archive: April 2010

Spring Attire

One of the things I love about spring is the erratic weather. It’s possible to start out the day riding with the cowboys in a sweatshirt….

(your favorite purple butterfly sweatshirt, no less!)

Along with the sweatshirt, it’s a good idea to wear a big smile, too…

It’s not unlikely that over the course of the day you’ll end up needing your dad’s scarf…

and your dad’s vest….

(Thankfully the dad around here is smart enough to wear enough layers for all of us!)

And finally, it’s not uncommon to feel warm enough by the end of a long day, to fish off the bridge with your Great Gram with just a t-shirt on…

Does it get any better than that?

A Note from Chelsea : Robyn and I met at Rodeo Bible Camp when I was 12 and she was 14. After camp, we picked up our pens and paper and have managed to stay in touch through all of these years. We write emails now, but I literally have boxes of letters from this sweet friend.

Now you can travel with me to a ranch that’s miles from anywhere. You can come with me to a place where ranching is hard work and play is pure and simple. If you don’t know anyone with a childhood like hers, “Robyn’s Reflections” (something you’ll start seeing here more often!) will give you a peek into what is, regrettably, becoming a bygone era in the West.”

Robyn’s Reflections:

Hmmmm, let’s see……. Well I was born and raised on a ranch 20 miles north of Juntura, Oregon, 2 hours from the nearest grocery store. I am one of three kids and when the three of us were young, we rode the bus 30 minutes to school every day. When I got older, we stayed in the dorm at Harper High School for 4 years, one of the last “boarding schools” around.

When I was about 8 years old, I told my Dad I was ready to be a full time buckaroo. So he put me on a horse and said, “Follow Granddad.” I followed Granddad for 12 years. Helped him ride in the forest all summer. We stayed at cow camp summers with no electricity, and the bathtub was in the yard. Had running water in the yard, not the cabin. I dreaded the first day of school every year. The first summer I didn’t have to go to school in August was the best. I got to help bring the cows all the way home that year for the first time. YAY!

Met my cowboy husband, Travis, in high school and we married two years later. We stayed on the ranch for 7 years….

We had the time of our lives at cow camp (hours from anywhere), buckarooing and irrigating summer pasture, and fixing miles and miles of fence (this cowgirl’s dream).

Moved to Vale the spring of ’08. Now we rent farm ground and raise hay and grain. Bought a place that has enough room for all our animals. But this cowgirl wasn’t born to farm. When we get to go home, to help brand and turn out, and help buckaroo, and help the neighbors, well, that’s the best part. Maybe someday……….

Final note from Chels: I’ve known Robyn for 16 years now and it has been my privilege to stay in touch. As you read her “Reflections”, you will no doubt pick up right away on the fact that she loves ranching: every aspect of ranch life. You’ll also get a taste of her faith in the Lord and His place in her life. You should start hearing from Robyn once a week or so. I can’t wait for you to get to know her.

Couch Condundrums

Well, if you thought shower curtain condundrums was music to your ears, just wait until you hear about this couch-cleaning trick! All the praise goes to my Mom on this handy tip. She is the queen of clean, so any tricks I get from her in the housework department are usually quite effective.

Last year, before our baby girl was born, my Mom came to help me paint and clean and such. After seeing the zippers on my couch cushions, she was inspired to rip the covers right off and throw them…. hang on to your computer chair…. in the washer machine! She put in a little detergent and turned the water to cold/cold. They agitated and rinsed and spun. Keep listening…it doesn’t stop there…. She then proceeded to put the cushions in the dryer!! She turned the setting to low and put in a couple of dryer sheets. You know what happened?! They came out clean! Beautiful, sparkling couch cushions.

I proceeded to relive the entire experience last week and I’m happy to tell you the washer machine took diaper rash ointment right out, as well as all sorts of other gunk. Anyway, I took pictures of the final product so you could see the beauty with your own little eyes.

Here’s a better look at my cute cowboy boot pillows…

I’ll confess here and now that these were given to me (thank you, Donna!) to give away as a prize here at Cowgirl Clippings, but alas the only prize in this deal is that you get a chance to look at them right here, right now, right clean. Cuz they’re way too cute to give away.

–Chelsea

*please note: if you have a leather couch, you might want to check with someone before you go putting anything in the washing machine. Just in case you were considering it…

Sweet Potato Fries

I feel like I’ve been neglecting the whole cooking area this past week. (Imagine how my family feels! Ha!) At any rate, I’m going to try to make it up to you, and to my family, this week.

I’m starting with one of our favorite afternoon snacks, sweet potato fries. The girls gobble them right up and so do I. These can be made for a side dish for lunch or dinner, too. They’re nutritious and delicious.

The directions are simple:

*Take a sweet potato (a yam works fine, too, in case you were confused at the grocery store and bought the wrong thing!) cut it into french fry size slices.

*Sometimes I cut off the skin, sometimes I don’t.
*Spread the fries out on a cookie sheet. (I use a baking stone)
*Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil.
*Once drizzled, use your hands to make sure they’re all thoroughly coated. *Next sprinkle them with sea salt or kosher salt (or whatever kind you have). Sprinkle to your liking.
*Now bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for 20 more minutes.
*Take out of oven.
*Cool until you can eat one without burning your mouth.
*Put on plate.
*Enjoy.

–Chelsea

Charlotte’s Faith: The Fallacy of Self Sufficiency

note from Chelsea: in case you missed the first of the “Charlotte’s Faith” articles, you can head over and check it out by clicking: Charlotte’s Faith: The Fellowship of Suffering.

From Charlotte’s heart to yours…

I spent my early years on a ranch in Wyoming. Out of necessity I learned how to be self sufficient. For example, I was taught not to leave a gate open ever. If I was alone, I had to figure out a way to close the gate myself. Gates are like Pandora’s box; they are easier to open than they are to close. I remember more than once crying at a gate because I couldn’t get it closed and I knew if I left it open I would suffer parental wrath. I would sit down and have a good, frustrated cry and then I would try something else. Only once did I completely give up and head home leaving the gate open. My father laughed (not the reaction I expected) when I told him what a stupid gate it was, still in tears. Later, he fixed the gate so that next time I could get it closed. (Maybe the wrath was just imagined?)

The next part of Faith’s story was not pretty. It was not my finest hour to be sure. But, this in not my story.

The first few days after Faith was born are a blur. I was having a difficult recovery from the C-section and I still felt I couldn’t breathe. Not like Tonya couldn’t breathe, but I felt like the wind had been knocked out of my soul. We would visit Faith in the NICU as often as we could. We couldn’t hold her for the first few weeks so we would just sit there listening to the continuous beeps of the other babies’ monitors. The nurses were wonderful, but it was loud . . . and cold.

Once we could hold Faith…

we started the process of learning how to feed her. It was clear from the beginning that she was too weak to nurse. Just breathing was work for her, much less sucking, swallowing, and breathing.

A hospital minister came by one day and found me having a good, frustrated cry and gave me Eph. 3:20. I looked up this verse. I like to see context. I liked what it said from verse 8 on. (See below to read it.) I‘m not sure now what struck me about this verse, but I remember it gave me a little bit of life. God was asking me to be the mom to a beautiful girl with Down Syndrome, so I reasoned that I’d better suck it up and get this gate closed.

Once Faith came home…..

we had to take complete care of her. We were to feed her every 3 hours and she had to drink 55 cc (slightly less than 2 ounces) and she had to do it in less than 30 minutes. Those of you who have never had to do something like this, you have no idea what it is like. Those that have done something like this and have moved on, you can laugh about it. . . now. Those that are still in this stage – may God grant you grace and mercy, because you need it! My husband and I laugh now about our night feedings with Faith. The whole idea was so foreign to us – we never had to set our alarms to feed our newborns before. It also brought back our memories of trying to get small calves to nurse. Those of you who work with cows and calves know what I’m talking about – it is so frustrating! I mean the food is right there. All the calf has to do is swallow. Those of you who have never done this sort of thing with calves or people, I will just calmly say, I really needed more of God’s grace and mercy every three hours for 30 minutes. We got it done, but it wasn’t pretty.

On February 2, Faith had a cardiology appointment with Dr. H., the first since being released from the NICU two weeks earlier. After Faith’s echocardiogram (ultrasound on her heart) Dr. H. said, “I am a bit concerned.” I didn’t know it at the time but that translates into “Faith’s life is in danger.” Dr. H. sent us to Loma Linda University Hospital, which just “happens” to be one of the best children’s hospitals in the nation.
That’s an overview of the facts.. I have no great faith lessons from this part of Faith’s story. I thought all I had was painful memories of stress and frustration, but as I looked back to tell this story, I realized I had these . . .

And these . . .

And a beautiful section of scripture. I knew (and know) God was there the whole time. Right there beside me. I was not on my own like at the ranch trying to shut a gate. It would have been so simple to just ask God to shut the gate. He was right there, why didn’t I say, “Hey, um . . .God, . . . a little help? . . .Please?” How hard would that have been?

But then I wouldn’t have been self-sufficient.

Ephesians 3:8-21 The bold stuck out to me. To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unreachable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

–Charlotte

Newlyweds

Meet Pat….

Meet Jill….

Jill is from Florida… she met and married cowboy Pat, and came to the Wild West.

A few prairie fires last fall, one very cold tan-less winter, and now a couple of brandings under her belt and she’s still hanging on… with a smile on her face to boot…

Pat & Jill are cute. They’ve been married for a few months now– they fit the title, “newlyweds” at its finest.

They’re fun to observe. I overheard this conversation between them last weekend while Pat was roping calves at the branding…

Jill: “Wow! You’ve done such a good job today, honey!”

Pat: “What’s that honey?”

Jill: “Oh, I just said, you’re doing a really great job today.”

Pat: “Thanks, baby.”

I went ahead and tried it out on Buck…

Me: “Wow! You’re doing such a great job today, honey!”

Buck: “Huh?!”

Me: “Oh, I just said, you’re doing a really great job today.”

Buck: “I just threw two crappy heal shots in a row; were you even watching?”

Me: “Umm…. you threw other nice shots. I mean, probably, surely you did, right? I’m sure you’re doing a great job. I’m taking pictures and keeping track of our offspring. Isn’t that enough?! Now I have to watch every heal shot, too? Maybe you should get down and chase kids around so I can rope a little.”

Buck: “I didn’t know you wanted to rope.”

Me: “I don’t. I mean, never mind, this whole conversation is ridiculous. Go rope. I was just trying to encourage you…. and I thought maybe you’d like to try out calling me ‘baby’.”

Buck: “Huh?! Could you go grab me my other rope out of the pickup? Oh, and snag me some grape pop on your way back.”

Now…aren’t we cute?!

–Chelsea

Real Motivation

If I’m going to be real, as in really real, here at Cowgirl Clippings, I’ve got to be honest with you and tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God umm…as I feel led. That being said, I know that when any of us take life too seriously, we have the ability to engage in a total and complete emotional breakdown. I don’t want to engage in that, so instead I’m going to laugh……and also cringe a little bit. Care to join me?!

Here goes. Last night I had to drag myself into the hospital… to work, of course, why else?! I had to drag because I had a long day with the girls and staying up all night seemed like a mean trick someone was trying to play on me. While driving to work, I literally prayed this prayer “Lord, since I have to work tonight, please give me something good to write about on Cowgirl Clippings”. God, my friends, has a sense of humor.

At any rate, considering the content of what I plan to put in this post, I feel a desperate need to give you some background information. I don’t work on a regular schedule anymore- I work “relief” so I fill in when other nurses are gone or sick or whatever. I also pick up OB call for the night shift, meaning I get up in the middle of the night and assist women in the throes of childbirth. Those are my favorite nights. Last night wasn’t one of those particular nights; it was just a regular shift I picked up for my friend, Dawn. (Dawn, I hope New York is treating you better than last night treated me. It’s a good thing I like you so much ;-).

Needless to say, because of my erratic schedule, there are some co-workers who I don’t see very often. I’m not sure if this background is going to make my story better or worse. Whatever. Now, I’d like you to also know that I am at a childbearing age, and our children are at ages where people often ask if and when we’re going to have another. For this reason, I am careful about the clothes I choose to wear. No umpire waists, no scrub tops, nothing of that nature. I wear nice “hoodies” to work with cute t-shirts underneath, so no one has to wonder about my childbearing status, like they might when I’m clothed in baggy scrubs. I like to think that I just completely eliminate the problem.

Alright. Bomb time. At least it was for me. I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I must not have had any sleep last night; under normal circumstances I would never, I repeat, never, admit this kind of information to the world. When my co-worker approached me, with an excited, “Chelsea!” I thought I had won some kind of award for being the nurse who shows up the least often and still manages to looks the most tired. Nope. She thought I was “expecting” and was thrilled for me- we’re talking excited! It was awkward, but I tried really hard for it not to be. I felt really bad for her, actually, because she felt so bad when I broke the news to her. I secretely, albeit momentarily, wished I was pregnant. I mean, I don’t wish that right now, but for a second I did, just so I could forego the whole awkward situation.

Keep reading, my friends, keep reading. I tried not to care too much….and I also tried to suck in my stomach. Just think of it as motivation, I said to myself. This is actually good. Lots of positive self talk going on….I just posted about the motivational sign on my elliptical machine- this is just more motivation, that’s all it is. Pure and simple motivation to keep exercising…. and to begin crunching my life away.

I went about my business- you know, saving lives and all. I had to go to the med cupboard and while I was pulling out some narcotics for a patient, I ran into one of our EMTs. We hadn’t seen one another in several months and he said something to the effect of “it doesn’t matter how I do this, it’ll probably be wrong”. I thought he was talking about the copies he was trying to make on the copy machine. “Don’t ask me” I said. To which he pointed at my stomach and said “are you?” To which I said, “Umm…nope. No. umm…uhh…I’m not.” He blamed my hoodie- the one I wear to avoid showing even the slightest belly bulge. Again, throughout the rest of our awkward conversation, I felt bad for him. I mean, I felt more bad for me, but I did feel bad for him. And once again, I wished I was pregnant, if nothing else, just for the moment.

To wrap this thing up, this morning after 12 long hours of night shift, made slightly longer by my well meaning co-workers, a good friend reminded me of what God has to say about being content to be me, belly bulge and all…

Psalm 139 basically says…”God created our inmost being and fashioned us in our mother’s womb (by the way, mine is empty for the time being. Thank you very much!) so that we might be equipped to fulfill the plan that He set out for us even before we were born. Who you are is not a biological accident. What you are is not a circumstantial accident. God planned both for you!”

Now, I’m off to think about those words as I drift off to sleep. I’m off to sleep and dream about pregnancy exercise (and taking extra good care of this body God has given me) and to pretend I didn’t write this to you. In case you’re cringing more than laughing about this whole thing, re-read it and laugh. I managed to. Nothing like a few pregnant remarks to get this cowgal’s rear into gear!

Goodnight. Or whatever it is for you.

Someday

Baby’s got the boots…

Baby’s got the wranglers…

Baby’s ready for anything….

Well, ready for anything that requires standing in one place, that is. Those boots make for some tough walkin’. It’s pretty much just a good outfit for photo shoots ….

and cracker eating…

Someday, baby girl, it’ll all come together. Someday…

–Chelsea

Motivation

Ummm… I consider myself a runner. I don’t actually run much anymore, but I have big plans to. I think my plans alone should qualify me for the title of “runner”. I could run now, but I can’t seem to get myself out of bed at 5:30 to get a jog in before Buck has to head out for the day. I actually really enjoy running. It’s a sort of happy place for me, a place to clear my mind, boost my endorphin level, and revamp my energy stores.

My biggest running accomplishment was finishing the Portland Marathon in 2005. In case you’re impressed, please know that upon completion, I vowed to never run another marathon again. I thought it was extremely painful (please note that I had yet to experience childbirth; pain, my friends, is relative). Now that my life stage doesn’t allow me to run on a regular basis, the first thing I want to do when I can run regularly again is train for another marathon. Call me crazy, I know I’m probably just wishing for something I can’t have, but nonetheless, I think I want to do it again.

In the meantime, I have an elliptical machine that works well for exercising during nap time and such. I do like the elliptical and I have a nice view of the hay in the bale lot, as well as part of the mountains, while I work out. The funny thing is that while I know in my head that exercise makes me feel good… I still have a hard time doing it. I drag my feet and find all kinds of excuses not to do it. So, I thought today I would share with you my inspiration. Last week I had a really great elliptical workout that, when I was done, made me feel really good. So in the height of feeling good, I wrote a little note from the elliptical machine to myself…….

This is the kind of thing I do that makes my big brother call me a dork. I’m OK with that. Call me a dork, call me simple, call me whatever, but it’s working. I see that little sign and I remember how I felt when I wrote it and I want to go back. It calls to me and begs me to come boost my endorphins.

So that’s where I’m going. Goodbye.

How’s your endorphin level today?!

Verse of the Week

“Teach me Your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in Your truth,
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear Your name.
I will praise You, O Lord my God,
with all my heart;
I will glorify Your name forever.
For great is Your love toward me;
You have delivered me.”
Psalm 86:11-13